The Battery

If you’re expecting a private member’s club in today’s San Francisco to be a sort of ping-pong playground full of app-pitching tech hucksters, then you’ll be very pleasantly surprised by The Battery. And if the vibe, which is dark, moody, and bohemian, is more Hellfire Club than boys’ club, then so much the better. The only way into the club is by nomination and acceptance by the board — or by reservation, which earns you one of 14 stylish, tastefully luxurious suites and rooms (and makes you a Resident Member for the duration of your stay.).

The Battery makes its home in the historic Barbary Coast district, on the fringes of the Financial District, close by to North Beach and the Embarcadero. It‘s tucked away semi-anonymously behind a row of old oak trees and a series of frosted windows. And inside, the same tone of quiet discretion reigns supreme; business chat is gently discouraged, photography is ruled out of bounds, and mobile phone use is confined to a couple of designated places.

In a world gone casual its sense of slightly old-fashioned decorum is what sets The Battery apart. As in other private clubs — Soho House is a frequent point of comparison — you’ll find dinner at 717B to be subtly star-studded, and the same goes for drinks in any of the club’s four bars. For members it may be a clubhouse, but for us it’s a full-on luxury hotel shrunk down to mini-boutique size, an equation that sums to the best of both worlds.